Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde (NSW) - complete

A bit of summary and thoughts
It is always fun to read other forum member’s journey and their builds as well as their thinking around colours and design. I’ve probably contemplated on putting up a blog or post. A bit of war and peace for about 6-7 weeks now. (I’m actually writing this in Word before I put it up since I’ve realised that I can carry on a discussion for awhile!). The wife is not really interested nor does she have the time to post.

It all started…
Decided that a 3 year old home (built by Australand) just won’t cut it because of many factors, location was one of them (due to our daughter’s school). So off we went to find a new location in Ryde Council to settle into. Now there are some really beautiful homes in the Ryde area but just not what we’re prepared to pay. Also, these newly built homes didn’t tick all the boxes. Since the market was getting a little ridiculous we decided rather than buying something all done up but having to retrofit ourselves we’ll buy one that we'll do KDR instead.

We managed to secure the location we wanted and it met our needs as far as amenities go (Liquor store, restaurant, physio, local medical). We were also cautious and wanted to make sure we knew what the area was like during the different seasons and take advantage of the sun (that was until I found the Suncalc! Go and see my useful links). Of course getting to know your neighbours is also very important for any sort of KDR. However, first week of moving in we knew that we’ll need to fast track a KDR. (See the timeline in the next post).

We happened to come across Alkira and having researched high and low about the builder before they got on to our list. We also toured Homeworld numerous times to find something we liked (See requirements below). Thus, ended up with Alkira (The Sienna), it ticked a lot of boxes for us and there wasn’t anything that we would have changed so we stuck with it. We have stayed pretty much in line with what was on display and our internal colours are pretty close to what is on display (only differences are kitchen doors and bathroom tiles).

Requirements
After having lived in an off the plan house we knew what we wanted and what we did not.
What we wanted:
• Allow enough natural light
• Good insulation (more for Winter than Summer good passive solar)
• Both myself and missus are in IT so the house required full network cabling (had it in our other house and something we can’t live without)
• A void area somewhere in the house
• Had to be double storey
• Minimum 4 bedrooms
• Flooring on the first floor be solid since we were sick of hearing heavy footsteps from downstairs (this is where hebel comes in)
• Ample supply of power points in the rooms
• A location to set a gas fireplace nicely for aesthetics and function

The Sienna
After having researched high and low and the people who have used Alkira Homes, I have found out that the Sienna is not really that popular. The most popular seems to be the Olivia or the Elyse 15. What struck our cord about the Sienna was the “void” and it was situated in an area where we’ll be in the most which was the kitchen and dining. The display home had a number of add ons (see the photos in summary of the plan link) over the standard but the things we liked about the Sienna were:

• Void (obviously)
• The living room where the gas fireplace will eventually be located
• Cornerless stacker doors leading to the alfresco for the indoor / outdoor entertaining factor
• Spacious pantry
• Retreat area in the Master
• Full bathroom downstairs

Floor plan from Alkira (floor plan link)

What I’ve learned to date: (ping me and ask!)
As these are MY experiences and opinions, I am not about to publish anything out that could be used to sue me. Other than each industry has a set of rules of engagement and timelines. If you work in any other industry than construction then time lines will be very different to what you will experience during your KDR. I see it like retail you have people from all walks of life and so some can really suck the life out of the sales people, while others are dream customers.

You may think you’re the centre of the universe when it comes to your build but the builders are dealing with many many more. BE PATIENT. Try and understand what they have to go through so that everyone is on the same page.

Do your research, know exactly how you want your house to be built structurally. Everything that could cost you thousands to do later as it means additional labour and rework, do it with the build and suck up the 20%+ builders margin. Anything you believe can be done post-handover and will be cheaper, then do it later.

This journey of mine

A quick snapshot of how I got to where I got to and ongoing

September 2013: Decision made to scout around the Ryde area and sell up
October 2013: Labour Day long weekend, purchased property in a location that was our ideal just “a little” old. But that’s cool we can handle it…
Mid-October 2013: Sold the house we were living in (with NBN just completed in the area!! Damn!)
Mid-November 2013: Moved to new property and the first 2 days we were there we knew KDR must happen quicker than we had planned
Rest of November 2013: Multiple visits to Homeworld Kellyville sitting in the Sienna and further planning about the whole process
Early December 2013: After numerous discussions we got advised that we should pay the $1k for the tender and that as it is getting close to Christmas we should pay it straight away and get the tender back before everyone goes on Christmas break.
December 2013 – January 2014: Zero activity, so I go out and get quotes for demolition turnaround time was within a week!! Damn some places are efficient!
Early Feb 2014: Still waiting for tender to be supplied
Late Feb 2014: New sales manager comes on board and things started to move quickly.
March 2014: Minor setback due to the shape of the land not being perfectly rectangular and more like a rhomboid it was going to be difficult to fit the house and comply. Where’s the house fairy to sprinkle some fairy dust?! …
Mid March 2014: Had a pre-DA meeting to make sure all would be okay before we proceeded any further. Council did not have an issue, while acknowledging that the odd shaped land plus how the house will settle it was fine (TICK! YEAH!)
March 20 2014: Got our very first copy of the tender! Yay! ..
March 24 2014: Version 2 of the tender (I won’t list anymore but we had A LOT of revisions for the tender, it wasn’t until we were half way through that I started to understand what this tender really means. So lesson learned is that getting everything in the tender and go through everything and then sit with them face to face if you want anything removed and hopefully only have to do it once)
Late March 2014: Part A payment made for the next phase which was external selections (see next post for colours)
April 2014: Email from Alkira, acknowledging payment
Mid April 2014: Booked meeting for external colour selections for early May 2014, introductory email from the girls in the Alkira construction office which was nice. (always kept me in the loop when things actually happened which was sloooow)
May 2014: plan changes and requirement changes further updates to the elevations to reflect requests made. (I thought all architectural drawings are simple. But clearly it is a hot market and if you make one small change you could be waiting a long time as you start at the back of the queue again. Then, it’s the draftsman who keeps making mistakes!
End of May 2014: Part B payment and to organise meeting for internal selections
Early June 2014: Booked in for internal selections (pain in the a** procedure but you have to do it) Kitchen / bathroom selections complete. Carpet selection complete
Mid June 2014: Landscape plans are done and reviewed, preparing for DA submission!
Early July 2014: Electricals complete, Tile selections complete. DA submitted to council and now the waiting game commences!! Tender document is updated to reflect some of the prior updates from selections
Late July 2014: Booked date of 15th September for demolition, booked storage facility
August 2014: Still waiting for council, some minor updates to the tender again
Late August 2014: Council approves!! But…. With conditions
September 2014: Pay all necessary fees to council so that I can get the Construction Certificate underway.
Mid September 2014: Moved everything out of the house and into storage. Demolition commences! I’m amazed at how efficient the demolition happened, literally all done in 6 days. Fencing goes up and the wait begins
October 2014: Still waiting for Construction Certificate and hoping it will start soon! Want the slab to go down and dried before the summer arrives.
Late October 2014: Still waiting for some Certifier to get it all sorted... at this rate Slab won't be done this year
November 2014: Well its Melbourne Cup day and have collected my contract for review.
Mid-November 2014: Contracts are signed yet still have delays on CC
Late-November 2014: Peg out ...
November 25th 2014: Surveyor signs put up and markings can be seen (lucky for me I'm on a corner block!)
November 26th 2014: the ground is being prepped, truck has put soil down (35 tonnes of it) for it to be mixed about and leveled due to a sloping block
November 28th 2014: next team arrives and as I require bore piers, about 63 holes drilled spoil put aside, concrete have been poured for the piers and boundary as I require drop-edge beams photos
December 2nd 2014: internal plumbing work photos
December 3rd 2014: zero action today but delivery of the reinforcing bars etc, just waiting on polystyrene pods to arrive
December 4th 2014: the plastic wrap is done, polystyrene has been laid down and reinforcing rods are in photos
December 5th 2014: slab is down (everyday this week it has rained in the afternoon but fortunately during the day it has been fine / overcast) photos
December 12th 2014: external plumbing, connection to main sewers
December 17th 2014: meter, meter box and trench for power cable complete
January 22nd 2015: frames have commenced for the ground floor photos
February 4th 2015: frames are complete
February 10th 2015: plumbing roughin photos
February 16th 2015: outdoor taps and final bathroom plumbing complete
February 17th 2015: window sealant to prevent scratches applied
February 19th 2015: bricks delivered to property
non activity due to fencing and boundary dispute with an unreasonable PITA neighbour
sometime between the mentioned dates plumbers have completed work by drilling holes to the Loxo (Hebel equivalent) flooring in bathrooms in preparation of the rest of the plumbing for upstairs
February 27th 2015: cement, sand etc delivered to property
March 3rd 2015: brickwork commences
March 4th 2015: granitgard (termite protection) applied around the perimeter of the house whilst brickwork continues photos
March 5th 2015: went to Austral for brick inspection photos
March 5th 2015: progress at the house photos
March 6th 2015: half of the bricks at one side of the house completed to head high and
March 9th 2015: rest of the bricks at the side of the house completed to head high half of the side of the living room facing the neighbour is complete
March 10th: rest of the side of the living room to half the kitchen complete to head high
March 11th: bricks done to head high up to meter box and front door photos
March 12th: lack of presence today but I didn't get there till late so can't say they weren't there
March 13th: ground floor level bricks complete! .. so that's 20 courses of bricks high. Obviously there are certain areas of the house where it is higher than that. photos
March 14th: window angled bricks laid, the three pillars of the house completed as well (up to 20 courses of bricks) photos
March 16th: boundary wall fence removed, about half has gone to the tip. West elevation wall is up photos
March 17th: East elevation brick work rumpus, kitchen and living room walls photos
March 18th: Scaffolding delivered, bricks on south wall and alfresco walls to ground floor ceiling height, temporary fencing delivered for boundary wall (no bricks delivered so progress slowed a little)
March 19th: bricks are delivered and the front wall around the garage is complete to first floor, rest of the scaffolding erected on the eastern wall
March 20th: work on the eastern side of the wall between rumpus and kitchen/living walls (essentially the study room section)
March 21st: weather wasn't great but bricks still happened. Master bedroom north facing wall is fully complete to top of roof. West Elevation half of the wall from first floor to ensuite and bathroom windows
March 23rd: west facing wall complete to main bathroom, work commenced to complete wall up to first floor for ground floor bathroom and laundry
March 24th: half day due to rain but brick work above the ground floor bathroom and laundry was being worked on. would have completed the west side of the house had it not rained and third lot of bricks not delivered photos
March 25th: quiet day
March 26th: brickwork for the final bit of the west elevation done ... wall for bed 4 done. In preparation for brickwork in the south elevation for the void
March 27th: south elevation wall complete, commencement of the east elevation wall near the void
March 28th: void east elevation brickwork done. bedroom 3 done, only bedroom 2 for upstairs and rumpus room plus all piers to complete!photos
March 30th: rain day! .. some work was done they were quick to finish the rest of the eastern side wall. Some of the front bed 2 wall. all the windows upstairs bar 1 has the angled bricks. Aim is to finish by Wednesday but looking like Thursday
March 31st: zero activity due to rain.
April 7th: brick work all done!photos
April 13th: main roof gutters/fascia complete (half day work effort) zero activity for the rest of the week
April 20th: OMG the rain is heavy, roof tiles have not been delivered, weather improved later in the week but zero activity
April 27th: sunny weather, site cleaned up, all the broken bricks removed and whatever rubbish remained
April 28th: main roof almost completed just the ridging to finish up
April 29th: half day work effort, the ridging for the main roof completed, technically I now have a roof! yay
May 1st: eaves for the main roof complete, cladding for the retreat room prepared, face bricks looked cleaned on the 1st floor and window protection for the upstairs windows removed
May 5th: eaves have been painted and the expansion joints have, in most sections been sealed with silicon(or whatever it is called)
May 7th: scaffolding comes down, and the rest of the roof trusses go up photos
May 11th: gutters and fascia for the ground floor roof was delivered over the weekend
May 12th: gutters and fascia installed
May 13th: scaffolding taken down and arranged for removal
May 14th: rest of the roof completed photo
May 15th: air con ducting and control panel wiring, as well as plumbing rough in. additional ducting for air con in the void and confirmed with Alkira of variation to add in the fireplace
May 18th: downstairs eaves complete
May 19th: carpentry for the fireplace frame complete, dwarf wall reduced to 1300mm complete
May 20th: electrical rough in photos
May 21st: face bricks cleaned, I now have a clean exterior to truly see what it all looks like. Some plumbing work in the laundry saw the pipe cut down to slab level. There was some activity inside with plumbing but no idea what it is.
May 22nd: wall insulation commences, water proofing for the wet areas commences
May 23rd: insulation work complete
May 25th: plasterboard/gyprock work commences
May 26th: walls and ceilings are all done .. cornices and skirting must be at a later stage ...
May 29th: colorbond fence work commences, cornices all up
May 30th: walls looks like it has been sanded
June 1st: colorbond fence work complete
June 2nd: slab extended for the air conditioning unit photos
June 4th: downpipes installed ..
June 6th: painters for the void ceiling and laundry ceiling
June 9th: painters are back to paint some more of the void, carpenter is in to do all the architraves doors are delivered and scaffold for the void came down photos
June 10th: 2 doors have been installed architraves are all cut in their correct lengths, electricians have come back and have cut out all the required holes for switches, gpos, and downlights
June 11th, 12th, 15th: quiet time no activity
June 16th: fireplace installed
June 17th: stacker doors height adjustment, architraves and internal doors, cabinetry for kitchen, bathrooms and laundry photos
June 18th: cabinetry complete for kitchen, bathrooms and laundry photos
June 19th: quiet time
June 22nd: quiet time
June 23rd-25th: architraves and doors
June 30th: some minor electrical work and carpentry
July 1st: some minor plastering work
July 2nd: stone benchtops for kitchens and bathrooms are in, kitchen sink and vanities are in, gas meter installed
July 3rd: tiling for wet areas commences, laundry tiling complete, bath tub installed framing with aerated concrete blocks complete
July 4th: porch tiled, alfresco concrete half screed
July 6th - 7th: tiling continues in the wet areas
July 8th: initial base coat painting, tiling continues
July 9th: tiling continues, rangehood and toilets delivered
July 10th - 11th: tiling of walls in wet areas and floor or alfresco
July 13th: grouting of alfresco and other areas, riser tile for alfresco and porch/door way
July 14th - 15th: grouting and riser tiles
July 16th: tapware and some plumbing for vanities and sinks as well as rangehood
July 17th: base coat painting of the architraves and doors
July 21st: gloss coat for architraves and doors as well as plastering and patching
July 23rd: plastering and patching continues
July 27th - 29th: built-in wardrobe doors in, mirrors and shower screens in, shelving for built-ins and linen cupboards in, kitchen splashback installed
July 30th - Aug 8th: ground floor tiling
August 6th: rainwater tanks delivered
August 8th: paid council layback and make right of old driveway
August 10th: Piping for rainwater tanks installed
August 13th: gutters and downpipes fixed
August 15th: interior painting, waiting for the skirting around ground floor tiling and architraves for the stacker doors to complete interior painting. external painting of the retreat section yet to complete
August 18th: skirting and architraves, bathroom fixtures delivered and electrical prep and painting
August 19th: bathroom fixtures to be fitted, Electrical fit-out photos
August 20th: Aircon installed
August 21st: Alarm installed
August 24th: Loxo floor patched
August 25th: House clean in prep for carpets and appliances
August 26th: Appliances delivered and installed
August 27th: Instant Hot Water System installed, site rubbish all cleared and looks so different!
August 29th: The concrete step for the laundry is done.
August 31st: Walk-through, mostly cosmetic stuff. Painting touch ups are still continuing, cladding has been painted
September 2nd/3rd: Council kerb / layback work
September 3rd: plastering fixes
September 9th: Carpet install commences
September 11th: Painters booked for final fix up
September 14th: Keys! Telstra phone line and Internet Cable
September 22nd - 25th: Modular wall goes up
October 6th - 9th: Driveway, Alfresco steps and footpath work
October 27th: Landscaping work commences
November 6th (2015): Landscaping completed
November 16th (2016): Slidetrack blinds installed for Alfresco
February 15th (2017): Odyssey ventilation system installed

The plan

What the house looks like in 3D


The floor plan has not changed from the standard so I won't bother posting my own plans. Only changes were the front facade windows and we removed all sliding doors to hinged doors. As well as having a cornerless stacker doors to access the alfresco



Front Elevation
The display home had the Corvina facade which we were not keen on and we didn't want a rendered look as we felt it was more a fad. However, we liked the way the windows were positioned. So we changed the Malbec to be a mixture of Malbec and Corvina.

The original looked like this:

Corvina (picture courtesy of Alkira homes)


Malbec (picture courtesy of Alkira homes)


What we ended up with


West Elevation
Due to the land sloping ever so slightly and council did not allow for fill to be put in rather it must flow with the land.
Plans had to be amended after DA approval to meet the conditions set out by council. The slab is to be constructed with drop edge beams and because of the drop by the time you get to the rear of the house. I now have a concrete landing and steps for the laundry entry and exit. As well as steps from the alfresco to the back yard (see rear elevation)


Rear Elevation

Since I have to redo a side street wall (it is a corner block) I did a mock up of what the Modular wall could look like. As it is not constructed of masonry I don't need a separate DA submission.

Landscaping
I didn't have any grand plans for landscaping. Only thing I stipulated was that it must be simple to maintain, trees don't lose their leaves in the winter and must be pretty hardy.

What I hope to see when mine is complete. Picture from Alkira's Sienna display as seen from the rear corner of the house in the living room.

I won't be doing a war and peace for the electrical, the plan speaks for itself. (This was done back in July and having more time to think some of the locations need amending. I hope I will be able to speak to the electrician when it is time instead of trying to get Home Options to update and send back to Alkira and incur more delays

Ground

First

Happy to answer any question anyone might have.

Selections

Unbeknownst to us we somehow ended up with a “theme” for the house. Some names for the colours revolved around beverages. Ie (Latte, Cappucino, whites, browns)

We’ve kept it relatively simple sticking with most colours that are already at the display home. Our thinking was if it didn’t look good a feature wall or wallpapered feature will fix it. We can always paint it a colour we want later and we wanted to avoid variations and to keep it simple.

We took their “Indulgence Package” plus the take your pick from a choice of 3 options free (pick the air conditioning).

External
• Façade: The Malbec with the Corvina windows
• Bricks – Austral Bricks [Urban One Range – Latte]
• Roof tiles – Monier Traditional Profile [Barramundi]
• Window frames – [Surfmist]
• Gutter – [Basalt]
• Fascia – [Basalt]
• Downpipes – [Surfmist]
• Garage Door – [Surfmist]
• Front Door – Hume Savoy XS26 [Maple]

Internal
All walls – Taubmans [Windy Peak]

Carpets – [Light brown]

Upstairs floor – Hebel equivalent brand LOXO floor panels

Kitchen
• Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey]
• Base cabinets – [Classic White Sheen]
• Wall cabinets – [Latte Lini Sheen]
• Splashback – [Natural White]
• Kickboard – [Brushed Pewter]
• Floor tiles - Xilo 145 x 1200 porcelain tiles[creamy white refer to display home floor]

Bathrooms, Ensuite, Laundry
• Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey]
• Cabinets – [Cappucino Sheen]
• Wall tiles – Brilliant White Rectangle
• Floor tiles – Eclipse Nocciola (in a light creamy brown colour)

Alfresco & porch tiles – [600 x300 grey granite]

Master Bedroom
• Door to retreat – Hume Savoy XS26

Stairs
• Tread - Maple
• Risers and everything else - Crisp White

I'll add more if someone asks and it isn't listed ...

What kept me sane throughout this journey thus far:

Some helpful links I found along the way (I know this forum is great for information but a bit hard to search unless you know the keywords to use. I am not from the building industry so some terms are foreign to me).

What I have listed below I do not have any affiliations for their products or services. They are ones that I have used or will be using when I have a completed house to move into. (I will update as I move along this journey)

Sun Calc helps to see how the sun rises and sets throughout the year. A fantastic tool!

Stegbar PDF Doc what I used to understand windows

Building PDF Doc found this online which explains the sequence of a build and what to expect

Modular Walls boundary walls/fencing

BrightGreen LED LED lighting / downlights

edmonds roof and house ventilation

GarageTek garage flooring

Ikea Hackers for the creative and lovers of Ikea

Jetmaster Gas fire place that I've been looking at, something looking like the one below to be located in the living room (just off the alfresco). I had one in my other house

Real Flame Landscape 1600 Decided to go with a Real Flame Landscape 1600 fireplace, i think it suits the design and decor of the house

We had a glass board in our other house which proved to be useful to write the grocery list or to use it to help my daughter with school work
link

GuttaFilta Gutter filtration that I found at the homeshow .. seems pretty cool

More to come

What do you believe can be done post build?

whirly birds,
anything to do with upstairs where you can get into the roof cavity (lighting and electricals)
if you so desire carpets for the rooms
blinds and flyscreens unless the builders have a package deal that covers ALL

I loved the Sienna too, although hubby didn't. It was far too big for our block and needs though, and much as I loved the light from the void, I was also a little concerned about noise. So no Sienna for us! Interesting to see your timeline. It took us ages to get the first tender too. But you moved to part B far more quickly than we did!

Hi AvaG

Tbh it is pretty big we only have one child so a 5 bedroom house is overkill . We were going to remove the wall between bedroom 2 and bedroom 3 and create a really big room. But decided not to just in case we sell in the future it is worth more as a 5 bedder.

I think we just wanted to get it over and done with so moved very quickly. There wasn't anything we noticed that was a shock so we kept moving forward with the process ...

The only challenge I have at this stage is in that void area and what to put in the ceiling at 5m! We provisioned 2 lights there but hanging pendants may just block the views. Last option is 2 fans in lieu of lights for practicality, summer keep the place cool with lower running cost. Keep the dining and kitchen area warm by using the gas fireplace from the living and having the fan on slow to push the warm air back down.

An upstairs living area is great, especially as the children grow up. We also looked at The Sienna but in the end opted to use a custom builder due to the narrow nature of our block. We also liked ideas from other builders, which we also incorporated into our plans. Things like a mud room, and better access to the laundry from the garage, were on our list.

I'm currently attempting to finalise our electric plan. Where do you intent to terminate your network cabling? The electrician by default planned for termination in the garage however I have a number of servers which should be in a cooler and dust free environment.

Out of interest, what's the cost quoted for the installation of a data point?

Who and how are you planning the installation of your lights? It's obvious our prescribed electrician isn't a designer and I'm noting the exact distance from walls downlight should be installed.

Slippery-dip!

I went for a walk weekend-before-last, firstly to buy a router from Harris Technology (only to find out it'd closed forever the day before - and I'd checked their site to be sure it was open!) & then over to Top Ryde for some headlight bulbs ... so walked through a few backstreets and MAN there're some constructions happening! I recall at least a couple of Alkira blocks but can't quite remember whether any were still at "site clean" stage ...

I've used the section under the stairs as the main IT area. I had a similar setup in my previous house where I had bought a wall mount rack and a patch panel, then cable everything back to a switch. I was fortunate enough to have got my hands on a small business Cisco IP PBX which I used to hook up 6 IP phones around the house.


its $94 per port (Cat 6 cabling), over 4 years ago I was quoted $115 per port (Cat 6)


I went to a dealer of Brightgreen who was at the home show a few months back. I had spoken with them about requirements and the electrical plan. No real changes other than saved myself 2 batten lights. Its all got to do with the type of downlight and the spread of light achieved and to avoid any black spots. PM me if you would like further details of the dealer.

you know the slippery dip is just for the display home no way will I want one in the house. Mind you that would be a quick way to get downstairs ... "to the bat cave robin!!"

There's definitely a good number of us that has gone with Alkira, one near you Forg and then a couple on the other side of Lane Cove Rd. .

Good luck with it all ; )

Yeah, since you pointed-out that upcoming build near us, I've been waiting impatiently for signs of it being about to start ... maybe the owners are renting it out, their Commodore is the same age & colour as ours and nobody with a car that old can afford to build a house.

Deluded! I am also doing a KDR in Ryde. Same colour bricks as U. Which demolition company did u use?

*three-way high-five*

Any pics Forg??? U were clarendon went u?

Loved going through your thread and thanks for the summary of the useful links. Quite handy (till i figure out how to understand that sun calc ) Our first choice was Sienna too because of the void but we moved on for the Elyse later. Our situation is similar to yours too (both in IT with a single child) and Elyse is going to be huge for us and wanted to take down a bedroom, but kept it considering the resale later down the line
We are in part-A stage and waiting for architectural drawings and hoping and praying we don't have any issues down the line. Good luck with the build.